Trudge
by BookLiver
Summary: It's hard to be what everyone expects you to be. Cunning, quick, to follow your parents paw prints in the way of a ferocious, unyielding warrior. Mousekit easily could, it wouldn't be difficult to flow right where they all expect her to go. However, a trap lies there, and she knows. It's cold, lonely. Full of harsh words and glares. It's better on that path, they all say.
1. Chapter 1

Green eyes peered from the nursery entrance, two pinpricks of light shining out of the gloom. Envy crawled within their depths, a longing for something just out of reach. Thumps echoed across the clearing, as his denmates play-fighted in the packed earth of camp. Blackkit, the larger of the two, reared up, forcing his forepaws down onto Mousekit's shoulders. The she cat squeaked, momentum rocking her sideways. The tom's paws slipped, and he fought to regain balance on all four paws.

Resentment crawled in Mothkit's belly. _Too young, _They called him. _Not big enough _to mock battle with the older kits. Blackkit may have been too big, he was tall for his age, but Mousekit was small. Hardly bigger then Mothkit himself, despite their enormous age difference. Blackpaw had Mousekit cornered against a swath of thick ferns, but the small she cat slid between his larger paws, coming up beneath him and, with a shove, unbalanced him.

Mothkit's eyes narrowed, jealousy burning in his stomach. He could take the short brown she cat single pawed. Blackkit was playing soft with her, not putting any effort behind the clumsy attacks, which, knowing Blackkit, thought were rapid and fast paced. Mothkit's eyes narrowed, watching the she-kit play defensive, not retaliating with any attacks of her own. It angered him, these playful antics they toyed with. Not taking the game seriously.

Fur brushed Mothkit's flank, and he had to force his tabby fur to lie flat, knowing exactly who it was.

"Mouseki' en Blackki's apprentice ce'emony today?" His brother, Nettlekit, questioned in his garbled kit speech. Mothkit sighed softly, irritation prickling his skin. His luck Nettlekit was his brother. Small, weak, and timid- _he _had a right to not play with the older kits. Mothkit straightened himself, stretching his forepaws and admiring the tiny claws that easily scored the soft earth outside the nursery. He, however, was large and strong. Handsome too, with smudged dark tabby fur, cream chest and belly compensating. Nettlekit was simple. Thin dark brown fur, and innocent blue eyes. He tripped over his tail, however impossible the task, and still had to yet master walking to the fresh-kill pile without stumbling. Cute, perhaps, but he'd never make a satisfactory warrior. Not one Marshclan could be proud of anyway.

Nettlekit's nervous blue eyes blinked, waiting for a response that would never come. Mothkit turned away, rolling over till his cheek brushed the earth and uncurled his hind legs, bored. His tail brushed against a nose, and a sneeze from within the den sent Nettlekit skittering. Blackkit and Mousekit paused in their excitement, as their foster mother, Sagefur, emerged from the den. Mothkit snorted. Foster mother. He understood Marshclan was low on warriors so as soon as their kits were weaned Barksnow and Acornfang had left Blackkit and Mousekit, respectively, with the then pregnant Sagefur, but it felt unfair that he had to share his own _mother _with the other kits.

Sagefur let out a gasp of disapproval as she noticed the smears of dust and mud riddled in the soon-to-be-apprentices ruffled fur. She surged forward, catching Blackkit in an outstretched paw.

"You're ready to receive your mentors looking like a pair of foxes?" She groaned at them, pulling roughly at Blackkit's thick ebony fur with her tongue. Mousekit sent her friend a grin, before grooming her own pelt in quick strokes.

"Our ceremony isn't until the dawn patrol gets back!" Blackkit growled under his breath, claws extended into the ground to keep his balance against Sagefur's tongue.

Mothkit's mother didn't respond, working quickly in the midst of Blackkit's thick tail. Nettlekit purred, whether out of amusement from the situation or because he was Nettlekit, his brother couldn't tell. The smaller dark brown tom padded out of the gloom of the nursery to press into his mothers fur.

His sibling watched from the shadows, as his family's fur glowed with the rising sun's golden light that pooled through the pines, and purred at Nettlekit's stumbling antics. One day it would be his fur shimmering in sunlight, his purr thrumming through the ground, his green eyes the she- cats of the clan would be falling head over heels for.

Ambition burned within him, a wanting, to be the warrior Marshclan would admire and speak of with pride.

**Mousekit **

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the FallenTree for a Clan meeting!" yowled Spiderstar, summoning her clan to the clearing.

Mousekit swiveled her head, scanning the crowd. Dewleap, Antstrike, Mossclaw, Turtlewing... There, between Fawnlight and Barksnow, Rainpaw! She waved her short tail in the air excitedly, as her green eyes and Rainpaw's blue ones met. She had been Mousekit's closest friend before graduating to apprentice status three moons before with Ryepaw.

Black fur melded with Mousekit's and she smiled up into her denmates yellow eyes. Blackkit grinned back, enthusiasm twitching his paws as the last of their small clan gathered. Spiderstar, satisfied, stood up on the slick wood of the fallen tree, the end held up by an adjoining log.

"I have gathered you here for one of the most enjoyable times of our clan, the making of new apprentices," she meowed," Blackkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is now time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Blackpaw. Your mentor will be Fawnlight. I hope Fawnlight passes down all she knows on to you."

Blackpaw, tail twitching, trotted forward and touched noses with his new gray and white mentor. Mousekit gave him an encouraging nod, waiting for her turn.

Spiderstar's intimidating amber gaze fell onto Mousekit, who instinctively shrunk back.

"Mousekit, you have reached the age of six moons and it is now time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Mousepaw. Your mentor will be Turtlewing. I hope Turtlewing passes down all he knows on to you."

Mousepaw nervously padded through the crowd toward her mentor, acutely aware of the large crowd of cats around her. Turtlewing's silver stripped fur shone in the sunlight, and as she reached up to touch noses with him, she could see his light blue eyes were too. He detected the fear in her green eyes, and gave her a reassuring stroke of the tail along her back as they padded side by side to Blackpaw and Fawnlight.

It took seconds, precious seconds Mousepaw had counted under her breath, for her to be overwhelmed by Pinetuft and Acornfang; her parents. Congratulations poured from them, while she waited for a moment to slip away from the attention. When the deputy, Dewleap, came over to organize a hunting patrol, Mousekit seized her chance and backpedaled quickly, scanning the dispersing crowd for her friend.

"Finally joined us I see," Rainpaw meowed, appearing beside her and butting her shoulder against Mousepaw's. Mousepaw chuckled in agreement.

"Took long enough, Blackpaw was obsessed with this ceremony, he'd practice battle moves on me long into the night if he could." Rainpaw gave a light laugh, knowing full well of the fire to impress that flared inside Blackpaw. The two she cats glanced up as Barksnow approached, Blackpaw's mother and Rainpaw's mentor.

"Turtlewing and Fawnlight want to tour the territory," she meowed, as the two named cats padded up to her side, Blackpaw a few paces behind his mentor," Rainpaw and I will join them on a border patrol."

Mousepaw glanced at Blackpaw, who gave her an eager glance. Mousepaw, missing the hollow pain behind it, followed Turtlewing as they vanished into the hole in the bush line that bordered the camp, apprentice paws sliding in the fresh cool mud churned up just outside camp. Side by side with Rainpaw, silver fur blending with brown, cold earth flying beneath her claws, Mousepaw let a trickle of unguided excitement flow through her. Out in the forest she could escape the pressure of her clan.

Out here in the forest, the small quiet she cat could flee from it all.


	2. Chapter 2

**8/21/14**

**My God guys, it's been what, three months? I would say I'm sorry, but my best friend has since moved, I got accepted into the best high school in my state, and I lost all the motivation. School starts on Monday, so yay? It's an hour away though, which leaves time to write on my phone, hopefully I can utilize it ^^**

**Big shoutout to Feather-Writes for sticking around even when I didn't respond to her for weeks.**

**Also a question to you all, should I post the allegiances? I find them irritating in the fanfics I read, and though I'm sure some people would like to have a list of each and every character here, I feel the best writers can keep ahold of all their characters through their stories.**

"Smells like foxes," growled the dark brown tabby,"Though only Starclan knows why they would be tromping around in these wet woods."

Dewleap raised his head, nose to the air and inhaled softly, sorting through the heavy mud, rot, and decay.

"Well I think you're just paranoid, after that flood last leaf-fall." scoffed Acornfang, the other member of the patrol.

"Better to be on high alert than regret it later," Mudfoot retorted,"MarshClan wouldn't be _here _if it weren't for the guard on duty that night."

Dewleap's fur prickled, and he raised his white and gray tail, signaling the brewing argument to halt. Mudfoot held his tongue, but Acornfang's pride wouldn't allow her to, even for the Clan deputy.

"And who was the guard on duty that night, Mudfoot? Was it Sagefur? Who barged into the warriors den, and yowled for all of us to wake and run?"

"Acornfang-," Dewleap growled, knowing full well where the she-cat's fierce temper was leading them.

The dark, red-brown she cat continued, regardless, "It was Ebonyflight, wasn't it? You know, the she-cat who grabbed Ryekit out of the river when _you _let go? _My mother?_"

"_Acornfang." _Dewleap hissed, rounding on the two of them, "That is _enough_. This dispute was over before it ever started, there's no changing the past, no point to bring it up, no point to jump to hasty conclusions. Now both of you," he growled,"We are still recovering, divisions between Clanmates will not do you, or any of our kit's any good."

_She's prickly, but Acornfang must have some maternal love for her only kit somewhere down there, _he reasoned. MarshClan's deputy quietly turned, his white fur, splashed gray, standing out against the bare ground. It took them several more minutes to reach a suitable hunting ground, their southern border. It was drier here, the sodden mud gave way to firmer ground and clumps of fern and moss. Prey could dig safe dens here, and nuts, berries, and seeds were more plentiful. For larger cats like Dewleap and Mudfoot who couldn't catch marsh birds with ease, this was better hunting.

"Alright," he announced, "Mudfoot and I will gather what we can here, while Acornfang will take to the trees." Dewleap ordered, remembering to keep the questioning tone out of his voice.

_It does no good to let them think their deputy has no confidence in himself, now does it? _Spiderstar's gentle, chiding voice entered his mind. Spiderstar, had succeeded his own father, Beechstar, and chosen Dewleap as her first deputy, soon after he had mentored Antstrike. It had puzzled him and the Clan, why choose Dewleap over someone like Pinetuft, who had successfully mentored one of, if not their golden tom, Turtlewing. Spiderstar confided to him, after his fretting that was the right cat for the job.

"_This Clan is dying, Dewleap. It is true, perhaps Pinetuft wouldn't have sent Cloudspring, Thornheart, and Turtlewing into battle without back-up. Perhaps he wouldn't charge recklessly into things without casting his nose about to scout for danger. And while he _did _train Turtlewing into one of the finest warriors of MarshClan, he could never curb Turtlewing's arrogance. But you took on timid Antkit, and transformed her into the quick and smart warrior she is today. Unprovoked you adopted Turtlepaw too, and changed his bluster into calm understanding. That is what I needed in a deputy, Dewleap. Not a cat who could fix this clan with the best solution, but one who could mold us with the right one," She had smiled softly at his bewildered expression,"No pressure, of course."_

A crackle of dry ferns against his flank made him freeze, and the pale brown vole he had been hunting froze, whiskers quivering. _Mouse-dung, _he thought, lunging forward and slamming his white paws down on empty mud as the little rodent vanished. Dewleap sighed, frustrated at his foolishness. _There hasn't been much rain since leafbare, has there? I suppose I shouldn't really be asking for it, after last leaf-fall, but it won't bode well for the Marsh if our only defense dries up._

It took him two more attempts to catch a frog and pounce upon an unsuspecting rail in the river, the very border of their territory, before he regathered with Mudfoot and Acornfang. The large brown tabby had taken down a small muskrat, while Acornfang carried a wren and blackbird. Nodding in affirmation, Dewleap signaled with his tail for the patrol to return back to camp. He hadn't taken more than a few steps before a foreign scent tingled his nose. he dropped his prey, trying to keep his fur flat as his companions looked back at him in curiosity.

"Acornfang, come with me. Mudfoot, carry as much back to camp as you can, we'll join you in a little." _Do not let your voice waver, show no uncertainty. _He flicked his tail for Acornfang to follow, and slipped back into the thicker undergrowth, trying to blend his white fur into the browns and greens of the marsh. Acornfang opened her jaws to ask what he was doing, before her glands met the scent. Her muzzle clamped closed, and her light brown eyes narrowed in suspicion. Satisfied she understood the urgency of the situation, Dewleap pushed quietly through the ferns, stifling his movement as he heard the dull crunch of undergrowth being crushed by paws, giant paws. Risking it, he slid his nose out of the fern thicket, going rigid as something very large rushed mere tail-lengths from his whiskers. He dimly heard Acornfang's sharp intake of air as she spotted it too, and as one they slipped near silent through the marsh, rushing as quick as their paws could allow to camp, prey forgotten.

"Spiderstar!" he yowled, though to his ears it sounded more of a yelp, once breaking through the camp entrance. Clanmates heads turned and ears pricked, wondering what had offset their deputy so. Mossclaw had a wren in his jaws, Antstrike was sprawled under the shade that Spiderstar's fallen tree cast over camp, Sagefur wrapped her tail protectively around Mothkit, Nettlekit pressed into her side, Thornheart, Harenose, and Voletooth poked their heads out of the elders' den, and Dewleap felt his heart race- he feared for each and every one of them, _feared _for his clan. Even during those cold forsaken months of leaf-fall he always felt his Clan, his family, would pull through in the end.

Spiderstar's amber eyes rested on his landed on his green eyes, patiently waiting for an explanation, and Dewleap spit out four words, for that was all the young deputy could manage.

"Twolegs in the marsh."

**Mousepaw**

The first few days were quick and exhausting, up little past dawn, go hunt for the clan, come back and eat with the other apprentices, then split up for their individual training. In the evening they would care for the elders, eat, then retire to their nests for the day to start again. Mousepaw didn't talk much with Ryepaw and Blackpaw, preferring to curl up alone with her old friend Rainpaw beside the apprentice den. It wasn't long after Blackpaw and Mousepaw first came to the den that Antstrike and Turtlewing approached them, telling the four apprentices about a ritual passed down through the generations of MarshClan warriors, PawClan, a clan within the apprentice den. Ryepaw chose the name Ryetail, Rainpaw became Rainpool, Blackpaw became Blackclaw, and Mousepaw was Mousetuft. Rainpool, as the oldest, became Rainstar, Ryetail as second oldest, became her deputy. Mousetuft was decided on as medicine cat by Antstrike, and Blackclaw was head warrior.

Turtlewing had Mousepaw to practice tree-climbing, something she was all to happy to do. Rainpaw and Blackpaw were joining them, all together on a thick pine tree.

"This is not a competition," Barksnow, Rainpaw's mentor and Blackpaw's mother, warned them. "Merely summarizing your skills to see what needs to be improved, the trees in the Marsh provide many birds for us, and only skillful tree climbers like Antstrike and Acornfang can get to the highest branches to reach them." The three apprentices, Rainpaw, Blackpaw, and Mousepaw had faced off much to Barksnow's chagrin, with Mousepaw and her lightest, smallest build coming out on top and Blackpaw with his larger, heavier body barely scraping by. That was to be expected, Fawnlight had comforted her apprentice, many large cats just weren't built for heavy duty tree climbing.

Ryepaw's cinnamon and cream tabby fur didn't show up much in their training sessions until the mentors grouped up to assess fighting abilities. Ryepaw was paired with Blackpaw, Mousepaw with Rainpaw. Rainpaw wasn't a fighter by heart, and Mousepaw managed to succeed at pinning her down, thanking those long sessions with Blackpaw as a kit. Blackpaw and Rainpaw took fighting in a very direct approach, making them easy to evade and attack from behind. Ryepaw and Blackpaw fought for far longer, just as it seemed Blackpaw would overpower the older apprentice, Ryepaw would rear up and bat him away. Whenever Ryepaw tactically caught Blackpaw, he'd be unable to hold Blackpaw there, fighting against Blackpaw's muscular build. Ryepaw beat Blackpaw in the end with an advanced move Mousepaw was befuddled by, and she could tell Blackpaw was seething beneath his ebony fur at being beat in his own element.

_Ryepaw and Rainpaw are just long-legged. Blackpaw will be the one to be large, maybe even as big as Mudfoot!, _Mousepaw thought.

Mossclaw and Barksnow were both adamant about keeping the training of the four apprentices non-competitional based, though Turtlewing and Fawnlight seemed inclined to encourage it, with cheeky grins as Mousepaw would successfully dodge a swipe from Ryepaw, though he always managed to pin her, or Blackpaw captured a small muskrat of his own, who were known to fight back and were more dangerous the larger they were.

It was a different life than what Mousepaw had grown used to, and she was glad her parents seemed to be busy with the constant stream of patrols going in and out of camp, everyone making up for the lives lost last leaf-fall. That had been just after Mousepaw had been born, and while Ryepaw and Rainpaw may remember brief images, she had no hope. The older warriors were strict about not revealing much to the new generation, and it irked Mousepaw. Knowledge was power, and keeping such a large part of their history from her was like dangling prey before a half starved cat. She tried getting Thornheart or Harenose to open up when they groomed their fur for ticks, she had never liked Voletooth, they kept their jaws shut. Thornheart had been able to see during the flood, Mousepaw knew, and she seemed to be more empathetic toward the apprentices; or at least, Mousepaw reflected, toward her.

"Mousepaw!"

A small bone snapped between the she cat's teeth as her mother approached. The dark brown she cat curled up on the cooling mud beside her daughter the setting sun making it tinge red.

"How was your day?"

"Ok."

Her mother let out an irritable sigh," Turtlewing says you nearly caught a dove."

Mousepaw forced her fur not to bristle, she knew what her mother was going towards," Yes. It was a whiskers length away but I didn't jump high enough."

"You wouldn't have to jump high enough if you went about it the right way and climbed the tree first, _then _lept for the dove."

The apprentice choked back an irritated sigh of her own,"I know."

"Why didn't you?"

_Because the dove seemed flighty and I didn't want to risk it? Because I wanted to _try _and see if I could make it?_

But just like every time, in the face of her mother she couldn't form those thoughts into words, as they got stuck in her throat, tangled on her tongue, and sounded stupid as they spun in her ears, and as her eyes cast downwards toward her half-eaten shrew, she could feel her mother's disappointed stare bore into her.

And just like every time, her mother walked away, her tail flicking with annoyance is if trying to provoke the short temper Mousepaw only seemed to have around her.

**Big reveal is not very revealing xD**

**How ironic that Turtlewing is the "golden tom", as in "golden boy", and yet he is silver. Haha.**

**Speaking of characters, once we get to a real plot (Ceremonies and shizzle are fun, *yawns* but we all want some of the good stuff don't we?) I'll be oozing characters out of my ears. I have them all planned out, but just their descriptions and names. No personality. So I'm asking you guys to take the names below (Just so far in MarshClan, I want to get these furballs established.) and give them a life! It doesn't have to be much, perhaps their wishes, hopes, things that irritate them, etc. Many characters are going to have POV's of their own, so far I count **_**twenty-one **_**characters I'm going to have to speak for, only five of which are outside MarshClan. (And that's only the first twenty chapters, there's far more plot to be developed past that.) So any simple thoughts you get from these names would really help me improve their roles. I'm going to try as hard as I can to let every single one of them get a chapter of their own, and I take each and every one of my reviews to heart. I may not use it for the specific character you suggest it for, suddenly realizing that it would work **_**wonders **_**for [Insert Name Here] but even a word or two can help, and credit will be given where it's due.**

**Thank you in advance for everyone who helps out, and even those for taking their time for reading this little old fanfiction of mine. I think every author can agree it makes their day to come to their inbox and see other people reacting to what they've put effort into. It can be edits on my grammar, spelling, plot fails that you spot, it's seeing someone take the time to read and review that fills me with a feeling that I'm doing something right :)**

**Spiderstar Dewleap Cedarcloud Antstrike Barksnow Brownclaw Fawnlight**

**Turtlewing Pinetuft Acornfang Mossclaw Mudfoot Rainpaw Mousepaw Blackpaw Ryepaw Sagefur Mothkit Nettlekit Harenose Thornheart Voletooth**

**Tsk tsk Spiderstar, twenty-three cats in your clan? And you were supposed to be small!**


End file.
